Timmoru Suzuki

This music IS my childhood and the sequence is good too. And then this still makes me go all funny inside even if the visual sequence isn't particularly interesting: I concur with the love for the True Blood intro, it really is superb. The theme to Doctor Who when it first relaunched in 2005 was pretty damn good too, but the subsequent changes haven't been as good. The Wire had some nice themes too.

I read The Postman Always Rings Twice and really enjoyed it. I've also read the first 100 pages of Pillars of the Earth as I really liked the TV mini-series and its another book that mum's been harping on about for years; and I'm not entirely sure about it. It could be a problem with seeing the show first as what's happened to far takes up about the first two minutes of the series so I feel like nothing is happening, but I am finding it slightly less than gripping so far. It's doing something I don't like which is stopping to give a 5-10 page info dump on a characters life shortly after they are introduced rather than weening in scraps of information when it becomes relevant. I'll stick with it a while longer, but I might move onto something else soon.

I saw the title of the thread an instantly thought of Supernatural. I'd say Season 3 of Arrested Development. It had some great episodes, but on the whole it was a large step down from Season's 1 and 2. For me, when the show was cancelled after Season 1 it was an incredible show that was going to be remembered as something truly special. When it was cancelled again after Season 2, I felt like it was a great show that ended at the right point. Season 3 was "just" a quite good comedy show with some great and some duff episodes. Also, Family Guy. Love Season 1 and 2 and bits of 3. Can't stand the rest of it at all. While I'm on comedies, Roseanne went a season too far.

Well, cock.

Just finished The Gunslinger (vol 1 of The Dark Tower series) by Stephen King. It's kinda...alright. I finished it, which I wouldn't have done if I wasn't enjoying it enough, but it just lacked....something. King himself says that re-reading it, he feels like he is reading a different author and that it very much feels like the writing of a young and inexperienced writer and I can see where he's coming from. It has a certain aloof pretentiousness that King novels don't have and it certainly lacks the easy authorial voice that King novels have. You can generally tell when you're reading a Stephen King and The Gunslinger breaks this rule. King excels (or you might say used to excel) in creating characters that you cared about and were invested in and once he had spent suficient time in doing so then he made bad shit happen to them. After over 200 pages I care about Roland, Jake, The Man in Black and the quest for the Dark Tower about as much as I did when I picked the book up in the library last week. This all sounds negative, and it shouldn't. It was readable, had some good passages and some nice ideas. If it were any other author I'd not turn down the chance to read book two but I wouldn't go out of my way to aquire it. Knowing that it is Stephen King and that book two was published much later, I'm more likely to give it a go (And because a friend loves the series.) Anyway, next I'm going to be giving a go to The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain and then Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet which I've been intending to read for yonks.

I'm happy with news of a new passing system. As a Madden (and NFL) nOOb last tear I found the passing in Madden 12 really difficult to get a hang of. Not that I want it to be easier per-se in Madden 13, just more intuitive. Should help if they are eliminating 'psychic' cornerbacks too. And the presentation looks real nice this year, both in the menu screens and in the match-day 'TV' coverage. Very much looking forward to a demo.

Would love a large framed print of that on my wall.

How are you playing Rooney and Hernandez? Rooney as Complete Forward, Hernandez as Poacher, both set to attack (meant to be each players best position/role according to the reports)

Any tips on improving the morale of strikers? I have two different problems with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez and neither are scoring as a result. Rooney has low morale because he hasn't scored since the world was in black and white. He still plays well enough (but not as well as he might), gets into good positions, but always screws up his chances, and I get commentary text about how he doesn't look confident at all. Hernandez is angry about a team talk I made and is now a lazy cunt. With Rooney I've tried calm and assertive "I have faith," sort of talks. With Hernandez I've tried calm, assetive and agressive "I have faith," 'Make a difference," "I expect more from you," and all of them either have no effect or he just switches off. And my one reliable forward, Danny Welbeck has chosen this time to tear his hamstring, the blithering idiot.

Finished The Snowman last week. I really enjoyed it overall, moreso the investigation than the more conventional thriller that the last seventy or so pages became; but I'll certainly be heading back for more Jo Nesbo. I'll either read the first book available in English next, Redbreast, or the newest, The Leopard. I'm about forty pages off the end of Fevre Dream and on the whole I've enjoyed it. A few times I found myself getting bored, but it always picked up quickly, save for one fifty/sixty page section 2/3rds the way through. As a whole thought it's been atmospheric and detailed with two well drawn lead characters and its become suitably meloncholic as its gone on. After Fevre Dream, I have no idea what I'll take to reading next. Either one of the Jo Nesbo books, or one of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels, or James Clavell's Shogun. I also got Let The Right One In for World Book Night, and I'm dying to read that too, But I'm not sure if I want to read two vampire books (however different) back-to-back.... Too much choice on my hands here!

My new game is bugged. Liverpool have won 6 and drawn 1 of their opening 7 games. Liverpool. Andy Carrol has scored frequently for them. Andy Carroll. Bugged.

So, I took a very rare trip to my local comic book shop to buy issue #1 of Dial H, because it was written by one of my favourite authors, China Mieville. Dial H #1 was a lot of fun, and I'll be buying #2 and the rest of the first story arc at least. True story.

It's good. The interplay between Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Cap is every bit as good as I'd hoped for, the final fight sequence is spectacular and the script is hilarious. Oh, and I normally couldn't give a drizzling shits about Hulk, but he is fantastic in this. On the slip side, most of the build isn't too well paced, the story is by-the-by and you never feel like Earth is in any danger at all. A three block section of Manhattan Island, yes, Earth, no. In summary: Well worth the wait, not a knockout.

Futurama and Scrubs need to die. EASTERN BRACKET 1) Community vs. 2) Seinfeld CENTRAL BRACKET 4) Breaking Bad vs. 15) Sons of Anarchy MOUNTAIN BRACKET 1) The Simpsons vs. 2) Scrubs PACIFIC BRACKET 1) Arrested Development vs. 6) Futurama And this has basically turned into EWB's favourite sitcom.

I was bored the other day and started a game with Arsenal. I tried using my 4-2-3-1 system from Bayern, but that didn't work so well, so I tried to copy Stoker's Aston Villa narrow 4-3-3 and that was ineffective. I've so far settled for 4-3-2-1 with a narrow midfield of Ramsey, Song and Arteta and two wide Attacking midfielders which are two out of Walcott, Gervinho, Chamberlain and Benayoun. RVP up front obviously, though I have just signed Podolski. I seem to have committed the same folly as Arsene Wenger and decided that I don't need a new centre back until its too late to sign one. Conceded 5 goals in 3 Premier League games and we've only played Stoke, Fulham and Everton so far. Haven't lost yet because of a strong attack....so yeah as far as games go this is startlingly realistic - Arsenal: strong forward line, can't defend for shit. I'll do work on defensive positioning in Match Preperation training and hope that Vermaelen spontaneously overcomes his long term injury >_>

Mum's been pestering me for ages to read a Jo Nesbo thriller, so she's leant me The Snowman. About halfway through it and really enjoying it. As a chunky hardback it's a bit too much hassle to take out and about with me unless I'm already taking a bag; so I've also just started George R R Martin's Fevre Dream to take out and about with me. Only read a few pages of that so far. Have also just ordered a few more books of Amazon, as if my to read pile wasn't big enough to begin with.

EASTERN BRACKET 1) Community vs. 4) The Office (U.S) 3) The Walking Dead vs. 2) Seinfeld CENTRAL BRACKET 9) Game of Thrones vs. 4) Breaking Bad 3) South Park vs. 15) Sons of Anarchy MOUNTAIN BRACKET 1) The Simpsons vs. 4) The Sopranos 14) Louie vs. 2) Scrubs PACIFIC BRACKET 1) Arrested Development vs. 13) The A-Team 6) Futurama vs. 2) The Wire

EASTERN BRACKET 1) Community vs. 9) The West Wing - I like Community...but The West Wing is one of the best shows of all time. 5) How I Met Your Mother vs. 4) The Office (U.S.) - Not seen HIMYM, but it ISN'T The Office remake and so wins. 6) Blackadder vs. 3) The Walking Dead - Nothing against The Walking Dead, but Blackadder is a classic. 10) Frasier vs. 2) Seinfeld - I used to like Frasier. I used to be indifferent to Seinfeld. CENTRAL BRACKET 1) Lost vs. 9) Game of Thrones - Not seen the GOT series, but was NOT a fan of Lost; and the GOT book is good >_> 12) Monty Python's Flying Circus vs. 4) Breaking Bad - Not see Breaking Bad. More of a fan of the Monty Python films, but heh. 11) Fawlty Towers vs. 3) South Park - I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY like South Park. But Fawlty Towers is just special. 10) Freaks and Geeks vs. 15) Sons of Anarchy - Not seen Freaks and I did like what little of Sons I have seen.

1) Arrested Development vs. 16) The IT Crowd - Surprised that IT Crowd has made it this far, while Arrested Development is gold. 8) MST3K vs. 9) Chuck - Couldn't give a flying Chuck either way. 5) Parks & Recreation vs. 12) Curb Your Enthusiasm - I must be the only person who can't stand Larry David in Curb. 4) Angel vs. 13) The A-Team - Not seen much of either. A-Team sneaks-it. 6) Futurama vs. 11) Red Dwarf - Futurama has had a handful of hilarious episodes and a tonne more of average. Red Dwarf is more consistent. 3) Friends vs. 14) The O.C. - Never seen the OC. 7) Twin Peaks vs. 10) Six Feet Under - Never seen Six Feet Under. 2) The Wire vs. 15) Prison Break - and The Wire is one of my all time favourites.

1) The Simpsons vs. 16) Boston Legal No brainer 8) House vs. 9) Oz Barely watched either. Can't really make an imformed choice, but out of what I have seen I liked House slightly more. 5) It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia vs. 12) Deadwood Never seen the former, and Deadwood is great. 4) The Sopranos vs. 13) Father Ted Obscure choice I know - only seen one series of The Sopranos, years ago and can't remember that much of it. Have rose tinted memories of Father Ted that may or may not hold up. 6) Firefly vs. 11) Smallville As if it could be any other result. 3) Dexter vs. 14) Louie What's a Louie? 7) 24 vs. 10) King of the Hill Don't care about the greater chunk of either, but I enjoyed 24 series 1-3. 2) Scrubs vs. 15) Roswell I don't overly care for Scrubs, but I've never watched Roswell.

1. The Shield 2. The West Wing 3. The Wire 4. Star Trek: The Next Generation 5. Arrested Development 6. Doctor Who 7. Firefly 8. Life On Mars (UK) 9. Justified 10. I'm Alan Partridge

Well with these £5 and my existing points, I might be able to convince myself that its enough of a discount to get SSX... Winner?

GAME'S website currently won't let me cancel my pre-order with them. Suspicious. As soon as I can get the order cancelled, I'll find somewhere else to buy from.

I particularly love the use of a quote box, containing a quote given by A SOURCE. Basically, it could be true (and would be great if it were true), or it could be a journalist at The Express playing Fantasy TV Producer.

Is anyone here up up-to-date (more or less) with Fables? I remember loving the first four volumes of it when I read them years back, and I carried on with it until about Vol.9, but stopped reading, partly because I'd stopped reading comics in general, but also because I felt like the last couple of volumes hadn't been anywhere near as good as the first few. Anyway, I discovered my Fables collection at my parents house earlier and re-read Vol.1, and liked it just a much as I did originally. I see that the series is up to about 17 volumes now, so I'm wondering how it holds up? Is it worth sticking with beyond Vol. 9? I'll at least re-read what I have and might continue on from there.